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by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 5/19
1) Decoding the Range: The Secret Language Of Cattle Branding.
2) If you’re going to deface a textbook, this is how to do it. (Although I’m dubious about the adverb “geniously”)
3) Funny, mean reviews of Dan Brown’s Inferno.
5) Girl makes jacket out of Ziploc bags, wears sandwich and snacks where ever she goes.
6) Why Manhattan’s Green Roofs Don’t Work–and How to Fix Them
7) Theres a Question Mark Hanging Over the Apostrophes Future. (I see what you did there.)
As news media announces an arrest in the Boston bombing…
Let me link to this article in the NY Times: Richard Jewell, 44, Hero of Atlanta Attack, Dies
When the name of the person arrested has been released, do not rush to Facebook to harass people with the same name. Do not start digging into the personal lives of complete strangers to see what dirt you can find or what political prejudices you can confirm. Jewel was harassed for months simply because a newspaper said the FBI was investigating him. Police asked him to sign a confession they had written up as a “training exercise.” In truth, his life was ruined.
The modern news media may be in a headlong rush to share every rumor or minor development, but we don’t have to follow. We’d be better off spending time with people we love or writing to our members of Congress about pending legislation. The last thing this country needs is to crowd-source our criminal justice system.
making books The outside world: politics publishing
by Harry Connolly
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A Proposal for SFWA and Other Writers Re: Publisher Bankruptcy
One of the worst things about the Night Shade business is that a publisher going into bankruptcy takes all their books with them. Even if a writer’s contract specifies that the rights revert to the author upon bankruptcy, that clause can’t be enforced because the bankruptcy court seizes those rights as one of the few (if not only) asset the publisher has.
It’s a little more complicated than that, as stated in the link in my previous post on this subjects, but that’s the basics. If a publisher goes bankrupt, in all likelihood a writer’s publishing contracts will be sold off to a third party without any input from the writer.
That’s just a matter of the law, though, isn’t it? Couldn’t legislation change that?
This is something I’d like to see SFWA (and other writers groups, and writers in no group at all) take up. Surely there are legislators on the federal level who are sf/f fans. Does anyone know who they are? Who their favorite writers are? I would bet that a contact from a writer they admire might persuade them to introduce legislation protecting right of reversion contracts.
Ten Years Ago I Turned Away From My Ideals And Supported Evil
Ten years ago tomorrow was the start of the Invasion of Iraq. To my shame (not chagrin, not embarrassment. Shame.) I was an early supporter of the war.
I had long believed that war never be taken on as an adventure overseas, but I let myself be turned by the propaganda leading up to the attack. Did I believe the evidence supporting the presence of WMDs? No, actually, but I thought Hussein needed to allow inspections to continue. Did I believe Iraqi oil reserves were part of the reason we went to war? Yes, of course I did, but I thought there was good to be done anyway.
Which is completely ridiculous. Of course it is. How often are the tools of empire and destruction put of a positive use?
What’s more, I was a grown man who knew better. So what happened? I let myself get caught up in all the talk of chemical weapons used against Iraqi citizens and “rape rooms.” I let myself be convinced that the Iraqi people would be grateful.
At the time, there were anti-war marches in the streets. I remember looking out my window at them as they passed the office building where I worked: they were the usual far left hippie types with their giant puppets, long hair, and birkenstocks. They agreed with me that the war was about oil (a stance that was sneered at in the media at the time) but they were sure it was a huge mistake.
Of course they were right. Of course they were. At the time I thought their protests were ridiculous and self-marginalizing. They seemed more interested in confirming their cultural cred as outsiders than in winning people to their side. The civil rights marchers in the sixties wore coats and ties; these people were in tie dye and sandals that showed their dirty feet. These people don’t represent me.
And that’s utterly ridiculous. They weren’t trying to represent me. They were warning us that the nation was about to make a huge mistake, and they were 100% correct.
Shortly before the invasion, when talk of war was ever-present, I remember Hans Blix coming to the media to say that Hussein had knuckled under and agreed to allow inspections again. I spent half a day foolishly thinking that the invasion planning had done it’s job… until Bush administration officials declared that it was too little too late and the invasion was going to happen anyway. That’s when I realized what an immature asshole I’d been, although I still held out thin hope things would turn out all right.
It didn’t.
What I realize now is that I should have been out in the streets with those protesters. I should have held on to my beliefs and my mistrust and marched against the war. It’s not the responsibility of political protesters to make themselves palatable to me; it’s my job to recognize right from wrong and speak out about it.
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by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 1/1
1) The 50 Worst Columns of 2012. So many trainwrecks.
2) What would cities look like without light pollution? h/t Richard Kadrey
3) Outtakes for ST:TNG Season 2. Video.
4) Politics in 2012, in graphs and gifs.
5) WW2: Full of ridiculous plot holes. h/t James Nicoll
6) The lowest-grossing theatrical release of 2012 goes to Christian Slater’s latest. It was a one-week release, though, and averaged more than “The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure.”
7) Oldest and Fatherless: The Terrible Secret of Tom Bombadil. An oldie but a goodie.
Reforming U.S. Gun Laws Will Be The Work Of A Generation
The shooting in Connecticut happened early this morning, but late enough that I was already away from home with my internet turned off when the news hit. It was only after work was done and I was connecting to the cafe wifi that I found out what had happened.
It’s awful and unbearable. That goes without saying. It needs to stop, too. That also goes without saying.
Remember MADD? That was Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Before MADD formed, drunk driving was a thing a whole lot of people did, and there was a “Let them sleep it off in jail” attitude, assuming the cops liked you. I remember reading editorials from men who didn’t understand why everyone kept talking about drunk drivers as if they were bad people. Gosh, it’s just friends out to have a good time!
MADD changed all that. It took time. They argued with people who wanted the status quo. They spoke about lives lost. They talked about common sense.
Nowadays, drunk drivers are treated like people who put other people’s lives at risk. The culture changed. We need to do the same thing with guns.
A friend of mine suggested that the idea we could regulate (or even eliminate) guns in a nation with an estimated 300 million of them was an impossible task. It sure can seem that way, even to pundits writing about the success of buy-back programs in other countries, but if we don’t start now, we’ll never finish.
Maybe it’s the novelist in me, but the way to finish a long, difficult task is to begin immediately and work hard for an extended time.
A good place to start would be these facts about guns and mass shootings in the U.S.
A good thing to do would be to write to your representative and your senators. Write to your governors. There are many simple, sensible things the United States could do to reduce the endless string of gun deaths in this country: Every gun must be registered. Every gun must be insured. If a person is caught with an unregistered, unlicensed weapon, that should be a felony.
The first time it happens wouldn’t have to involve jail time, if there were no other laws broken. A fine and suspended sentence would be enough. And of course, felons in most states lose their right to vote during their sentence and in a few states for long after that. Maybe that would finally end the practice of denying former convicts of their voting rights.
It won’t be easy and it won’t be perfect. No system ever devised by humans can function perfectly. The real choice here is what flaws we’re willing to accept. Are we going to continue with mass murders all over the news and 30-some thousand gun-related deaths a year? Or are we finally, finally going to start changing things.
Added: Per a suggestion on the LiveJournal mirror for this blog, consider also supporting the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
The Election Is Not The End
Well, Nate Silver’s book THE SIGNAL AND THE NOISE is ranked #3 on Amazon as I write this.
Obama won and I won’t pretend to be sad about it. I don’t think Romney was trying to become president for nefarious reasons–I’m sure he wanted to do good for the nation–but the policies he promised would have been terrible. Obamacare and financial reform might have been weak sauce, but that’s better than an empty bowl.
What’s more, I think he could have won if he hadn’t become so cynical about the process. It wasn’t just his 47% comment, which hurt him badly; he campaigned as though the strategy to win the White House was to say just about anything that sounded good at the moment. Yes, Nate Silver and the pollsters showed the superiority of their numbers-driven system, but the other big winners here were the fact-checkers. The media is changing the way it addresses untruth, and it’s about time.
The Senate has lost Lieberman and Nelson, two of its most conservative Democrats. Can we have a public option now? And filibuster reform? Republicans retained their majority in the House and have enough to seats in the Senate to continue to block, thwart, and slow the people’s business. With luck, McConnell et al will abandon their Deny Obama Everything strategy and work with him.
As for Obama, support for same-sex marriage didn’t hurt him at all, and neither did his demands to increase taxes on the wealthy. Those are welcome changes, too. Still, I know most Americans don’t vote based on this or that policy: does the country seem to be on the upswing? That’s what drives most votes, not the thickets of policy and personality that drives most political junkies.
But here’s the important thing: It’s not over. Voting isn’t the end. I mean it. Too many people think that the only influence we have over our political choices is our vote.
It’s not. Politicians pay attention to the letters they get, and a small number of them can have a real impact. Here’s the text of the letter I’m going to send today:
Dear Mr. President:
I voted for you and I’m happy that you have won a second term. I believe you’ve been a good leader for this country and that you are a decent man.
That’s why I’m asking you to end predator drone strikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The loss of innocent lives in this way is unacceptable. Also, dropping bombs only hardens the resolve of the target population, creating more enemies than we could ever destroy.
As an American citizen and a voter, I’m saying we must end this program.
Thank you,
Your vote is not your voice. Your voice is your voice. Speak up. Be heard.
POW!
From ClimateSilence.org
I have voted.
Yes, I voted for Obama. No, it’s not a huge shock; even though the Green candidate was closer to my positions than the president, I held my nose and voted for the guy who drops bombs on innocent people in Asia.
That sucks, but it’s still better than what we were going to get from Romney, if his own positions could be believed (and they can’t). If it’s a choice between Obama and another neo-con, I know who I have to vote against.
Not that it matters all that much. Washington is a very blue state, so our electoral votes are not really in play. More important to me are the state, county and city issues: I voted to support same sex marriage, to reject charter schools, to reject supermajority requirements on tax legislations, to support sea wall repair in downtown Seattle, and to support marijuana legalization.
I also supported a mix of Democratic and Republican candidates, although you can probably guess that I voted for more of the former than the latter. On occasion, I’ve said (mostly-joking) that I’m about as far to the left as you can get while still remaining a capitalist, and the GOP has been moving further and further to the right in recent years, so there’s not many in that party who would be a good match for me.
Anyway: Duty done.
The outside world: food funny interesting things links people politics
by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 9/27
1) “Because in my own way, I can (unfortunately) point out exactly what is wrong with men when they don’t realize how hard it is to be a woman. How we do not have equal opportunities and freedoms in everyday life. How most men, even good caring men, have no clue what we go through on a daily basis just trying to live our lives.” Warning: That could be triggering.
2) In Plain View: How child molesters get away with it.
3) Are you at a hipster wedding? A flowchart.
4) Thirteen congressional candidates with interesting ideas.
5) How to make the perfect ice cube.
6) Interested in giving up masturbation? Try 50 Cent’s four-step plan.
7) i09 calls this “The worst death scene ever comitted to film.” I was doubtful until I watched it.
Guns, Germs, And Private Equity
I’ve been pretty busy–too busy to do a lot of blogging–but I thought I should point this out:
I didn’t realize that, for some time, Mitt Romney has been quoting from Guns, Germs, and Steel to explain his view of the world and the way to develop healthy economies.
Normally when I talk about a book I put up a buy link for interested readers, but not this time. While Diamond’s book is interesting, it’s not something you want to base an economic policy on.
Keeping the internet at arm’s length
Back in 2010 when the health care debate was going on (and before it) I kept pretty careful track of the health care debate. In truth, I stressed out over it to an unhealthy degree. I couldn’t contain my disgust when Ben Nelson demanded the end of the public option, and I was livid with hate when Joe Leiberman revenged himself on the liberals who primaried him by ending voluntary Medicare buy-in for folks over 55.
In short, I spent a shitload of my time following reports on the legislation, annoyed and alienated friends with my arguments, and generally made myself unhappy. In the last few weeks, I’ve been following the news in only the most general way, trying not to let myself get distracted.
Now that the Supreme Court has (rightly, in my view) upheld the individual mandate, the ACA is going forward. This is going to be a very good thing for me, personally, because the health care plan my family has (bought as an individual) is outrageously expensive. Obamacare will ease that burden. I mean, I have health insurance right now, but I won’t go to the doctor to have my foot checked (I have a possible stress fracture) because my outrageous deductible means the expense would all come out of my pocket.
Anyway, people are saying dumb things on my Facebook feed, and on Twitter, and everywhere. Me, I’m going to stay offline and keep working, to preserve my sanity.
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by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 6/27
1) If you’ve played Minecraft, this will crack you up. Assuming you have a soul. Non-Minecraft players might also be amused. Video.
2) A picture book you hope you’ll never have to give to a little kid in your life.
4) What filesharing studies really say.
5) R-rated movies re-imagined as children’s books.
6) I’ve never worn a hoodie, but I’d be tempted by this, no matter how stupid I’d look.
7) Investors sue movie producers for fraud over “One of the Greatest Box Office Flops of All Time”
The outside world: comics interesting things links minecraft politics scientification TV
by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 3/28
1) A history of the McFarlane/Gaiman Miracleman lawsuit.
2) Trompe l’oeil graffiti vanishes Egyptian military barrier
3) A working scientific calculator, built from Minecraft blocks.
4) Two words: Explosive. Polymerization. (Video)
5) Eight “forgotten” live-action children’s shows from the eighties. I doubt “Small Wonder” has been forgotten, but “My Secret Identity” is the only other one I remember (but I’m a bit old for this time period)
6) Heroic Goofballs: Aardman takes on DC. Video
7) An infographic showing the last words of executed inmates in Texas.
personal The outside world: internet politics publishing words
by Harry Connolly
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Five things make a post
1) I’ve asked my agency to accept an offer from a Polish publisher to do a Polish edition of Child of Fire. Awesome! Never let anyone tell you that agents are unnecessary.
2) Netflix Streaming seems to promise a great deal, but I can’t pretend to be happy that the shows continually stop to rebuffer. It took 35 minutes to watch a 20-minute cartoon.
3) This small town will get a grant to cover 60% of the cost of a new library if they can raise the other 40% themselves. Can you help? Video.
4) Like many Americans, I’m not terribly happy with the current state of the GOP, but one thing I do like is the protracted primary process. I’m pleased to see so many candidates sticking it out and going from state to state. Why? Super PAC stimulus. Ad buys, sign printing, mailings, the whole thing, millions of dollars from a handful of extremely conservative millionaires are being poured into each state’s economy as the campaigns move from one to another. I may not like the message conservative candidates have been promoting, but I like watching them spend their cash.
5) Regarding the Suvudu.com cage matches, I’ve made a difficult decision: even if Ray Lilly wins, I’m not going to write the next round. Honestly, I just can’t. I’m struggling too much with my new book to let my attention be divided and that’s where I have to put my energy. I’m 96K words into it; I gotta get this done. On top of that I have more than a few demands on my personal time.
So, vote for Ray if you want but don’t vote to see another writeup from me. The cage matches are fun but I can’t afford to play any more.
The outside world: comics funny games interesting things links politics publishing TV words
by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 2/22
1) Author Jim Hines matches the poses of women on urban fantasy covers.
2) Read this fantastic metafilter comment about libraries.
3) Twelve Creative Business Cards
4) The setting of Word of Warcraft recreated in Minecraft.
5) Comics need fewer creators and more owners.
6) How Pilot Season ensures that the right actors aren’t cast in the right TV show. Via
Intellectual property and its discontents
This terrific video charts the toxic influence that wealth and power can have over the public good.
personal The outside world: interesting things links moi? people politics
by Harry Connolly
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Internet fast has become an internet diet
I still have a lot of work to do and I need to be offline as much as humanly possible. However, at this point I can steal time to look at email and reply to LJ/Twitter messages.
However, I can’t keep up with my blog reading. Sorry.
In the mean time, please read this: One Town’s War on Gay Teens.
The outside world: funny games interesting things links people politics words
by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 1/26
1) 20 Amazingly Weird Pieces of Classic Video Game Box Art.
2) AZ school officials ban “ethnic studies.” No racism here, folks, just move along.
3) What a comic script is for, by Warren Ellis
4) Cop or Soldier? I could only get 12 out of 21. Can you do better?
5) Meljean Brooks’s Diary of an Author Reader, I LOLed.
6) A comic script, from conception to finished product.
7) A funny video about breast cancer self examinations. No, really. Also features hot dudes with their shirts off. Video. Via +Kat Richardson
The outside world: beautiful comics film funny interesting things links people politics scientification
by Harry Connolly
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Randomness for 1/11
1) Rick Santorum quotes as New Yorker cartoons.
2) The 50 most brilliant, obnoxious, or delightfully sociopathic Facebook posts of 2011.
3) The TSA’s biggest success stories of 2011, and what it means.
5) War Horse: An Illustrated Review
6) Charles Stross makes some predictions for the future. This worked out so well for Heinlein…
7) 10 Stubborn Body Myths That Just Won’t Die, Debunked by Science
